Pocket-knife



(N o Model.)

B. MQGOVERN.

POCKET KNIFE. No. 309.863. Patented Dec. 30, 1884.

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llnrrn STATES ATENT A FFICJE.

POCKET-KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,863, dated December 30, 1884.

Application filed February 11, 1884.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. BERNARD MoGovnRN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knives; and

I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

, My invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in the construction of knives, and has for its object to provide a device of this description which shall be readily adapted for the various uses to which it may be put, and in which there shall be no hinged or stationary connection between the blade and the handle, and exceedingly simple and economical; and with these ends in view my invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter fully described, and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains may more fully understand its construction and operation, I will proceed to describe the same in detail, referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improvement; Fig. 2, a side elevation of thesame, showing the head to which the blade is secured locked within one of the notches in the cylinder; Fig. 3, a side elevation showing the head thrown forward to its full extent, and locked in this position; and Fig. 4, a side elevation showing the spiral slot in the socket and the pin arranged therein.

Similar letters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

A is a socket having therein an elongated slot, B, deflected at its forward port-ion, as

5 seen at C.

D is ahollow cylinder, arranged within said socket, and also provided with an elongated slot, E.

F is a small pin, secured within this cylinder,so as to'project laterally therefrom within .into the deflected slot 0 when the spring H (No model.)

a spiral slot, G, in the socket. The rear ends of both the socket and the cylinder are closed, and between them is placed a coil-spring, H, so as to give the cylinder aspring movement. The-relativepositions of the elongated slots B E are such that when the cylinder is forced within the socket to its full extent against the action of the spring the action of the pin F within the spiral slot Gwill cause the cylinder to turn and bring said slots into alignment, for the purpose presently explained.

I is the blade, the tang of which is riveted, soldered, or in any other suitable way secured to a head, .T, fitting loosely within the cylinder D.

K is a small pin, projecting laterally from said head within the slot E, and it will be readily understood that the action of the pin F within the. spiral slot will throw the pin K forces the cylinder forward.

L is a collar secured at the outer end of the cylinder. In assembling the several parts of my improvement I first place the coil-spring within the socket and then introduce the cylinder. The pin F is driven into the latter through the spiral slot. The head J, with blade secured thereto, is now dropped into the cylinder and the pin K is driven into said head through the slots B E. The device thus assembled is placed within a hollow cylindrical handle, M, open at both ends, and secured therein by means of a pin, N, passed through the handle into the collar L, or by a screwthread formed on the collar, the rear end of the socket being allowed to project, as shown, for the purpose presently explained.

I preferably make the diameter of the 'collar slightly greater than that of the socket, so that the latter will move freely when forced down over the cylinder.

The operation of my improvement is as follows: The knifeblade being out to its full length, the position of the several parts is as shown at Fig. 3, the pin K resting within the deflected slot 0. By havingaseries of notches, 0, along the edge (1 of the slot E the blade may be locked in any position, so as to project to any desired extent from the forward end of the handle. By depressing the rear fco end of the socket the cylinder will be turned, owing to the action of the spiral slot on the pin F, until the elongated slots are brought into alignment. The pin K willhave thus left the slot O, and when the knife is heldin a position with the point of the blade up the head carrying the latter will drop by gravity within the cylinder. The socket is now relieved of pressure, and the force of the spring, together with the action of the spiral slot on the pin F, will bind the pin K between the edge of the slot B and the edge of the slot E, thereby holding the head J within the cylin der.

\Vhen it is desired to use the knife, the socket is again depressed, and by holding the knifepoint down the blade will readily drop out, and by relieving the socket of pressure the action of the spiral slot on the pin F will throw the pin K within the deflected slot 0 and lock the blade in position.

It will be obvious that any device other than a knife-blade may be attached to the head J as, for instance, a button-hook, tooth-pick, pen, pencil, and the like-my invention not being confined in this respect to a knife-blade.

If desired, any suitable cap may be placed over the forward extremity of the handle and the parts protected from grit, dust, &c.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a knife, the socket provided with elongated slot and spiral slot, and having interiorly arranged therein a hollow cylinder having an elongated slot provided with one or more notches, and a pin adapted to travel in said spiral slot, in combination with a coiled spring placed between the rear ends of said socket and cylinder, and a blade or other suitable device secured to a head provided with a pin projecting within the slot in the cylinder,whereby the said pin may be clamped or locked between the edge of the said slot and the edge of the slot in the socket, and at any point along the length thereof, thereby allowing the extremity of the blade or other device to project to any desired distance be yond the end of the handle, substantially as hereinbefore set forth and described.

2. The socket having slots B G, in combination with the cylinder D, arranged within said socket, and having slot E, provided with one or more notches, c, and pin F, projecting within the slot G, coil-spring H between the rear ends of the socket and cylinder, blade I, secured to the head J, which fits loosely within the cylinder, and pin K, projecting from said head within the slot E, substantially as set forth.

3. The handle M, having arranged therein the socket A, having elongated slot B and spiral slot G, cylinder D,arranged within the socket and provided with collar L, elongated slot E,notched, as shown, and pin F, projecting within the slot G, coil-spring H between the rear ends of said socket and cylinder, and head J ,fitting looselywithin the cylinder, and having pin K, projecting within the slot E, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signaturcin presence of two witnesses.

BERNARD MOGOVERN.

\Vitnesses:

S. S. XVILLIAMsoN, \V. J HATILAND. 

